First Lady Michelle Obama on Healthy Eating Habits and More

First Lady Michelle Obama loves to lead by example, whether it’s through planting the White House Garden with Washington, D.C., schoolchildren, flashing her chiseled arms at state dinners, or doing the “Dougie” dance to show that exercise can be fun. Throughout it all, her message and the message of her nonprofit initiative Let’s Move has been that healthy living can be easy and fun — and it’s still okay to eat the occasional French fry.

At Everyday Health, we love Obama’s balanced approach to diet and fitness. Here, we interview Obama on her favorite indulgences, her wish for the American diet, and what it’s like around the Obama family dinner table.

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Savoring Treats and Good Habits

EH: You’ve said moderation is the key to maintaining a healthy weight. What are your biggest indulgences, and how do you limit them?

Obama: This is an easy one — it’s French fries. I love them. And I’m not afraid to talk about it because it’s important that we realize that healthy eating doesn’t have to be an all-or-nothing approach.

Choosing a healthy diet isn’t about deprivation, it’s about balance. It’s about moderation. Like I tell my kids, as long as you eat fruits and vegetables at every meal, you’ll be okay if you have pizza or ice cream every once in a while. The problem is when the treats become the habits.

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Getting the Kids Involved

EH: MyPlate, the new USDA food icon, suggests Americans make fruits and vegetables half of every meal. Many kids — and plenty of adults — don’t like vegetables. How do you get your kids to eat vegetables? Any family recipes you can share?

Obama: One simple way to encourage kids to try new, nutritious foods is to include them in the process. Give them some choice in the matter. Find nutritious recipes they like and build up from there. Garden with them. Take them grocery shopping. Get them involved in the kitchen.

I’ve seen this firsthand with my own girls and with local students who help us out in the White House Kitchen Garden. At first glance, they may not like spinach or broccoli, but if they plant it and watch it grow or prepare it and season it on their own, it can be a little more interesting. It becomes their discovery, their accomplishment. It’s something they made, not just something their parents told them to eat.

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One Secret to a Better Diet

EH: If you could change one thing about the American diet, what would it be? Why?

Obama: Well, we’re not interested in dictating exactly what foods people have at every meal. That’s not what Let’s Move is about. But it is about sharing ideas that really work for families and promoting manageable life changes. MyPlate is a perfect example in this regard. All you need to do is fill half your plate with fruits and vegetables alongside proper portions of lean meats, whole grains, and low-fat dairy. You can fill in the plate with any type of food that you want, but the main point is that we each can be more conscious of the types of foods we’re putting into our bodies. And if we just do that, we’re well on our way to better health.

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At the White House Dinner Table

EH: Tell us about a typical Obama family dinner. How often to the four of you get to sit down together? Do you think eating as a family helps encourage healthy eating habits in kids?

Obama: Most nights, we have dinner together as a family. We’re lucky. It’s a time we all really enjoy, and as parents, it’s a great way to keep tabs on what our kids our eating. But it’s also a chance to talk about the ups and downs of our days — or roses and thorns as we call it — and really connect as a family. So I don’t think it’s a reach to say that dinner time helps us all to be a little bit healthier, both with our eating and as a family.

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